Storage image data in association with registration information representing a communication device

ABSTRACT

An image information storage device is configured such that, when an output control unit makes the output unit output an image represented by first image data stored in an image data storage, the output control unit makes the output unit also output the registration information which has been associated with the first image data, or when the output control unit makes the output unit output first registration information stored in the registration information storage unit, the output control unit makes the output unit also output an image represented by image data which has been associated with first registration information. Further, when there is an input specifying association of the first registration information stored in the registration information storage unit with second image data, the registration control unit associates the first registration information with the first image data and the second image data, and stores in the registration information storage unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from JapanesePatent Application No. 2007-321399 filed on Dec. 12, 2007. The entiresubject matter of the application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an image information storage device, animage information processing system and a computer-readable recordmedium storing a program for image information processing.

2. Prior Art

Communication devices (e.g. cellular phone) having the so-calledtelephone directory function are widely available today. With thetelephone directory function, textual information such as a name(personal name, company name, etc.) and a phone number, e-mail address,etc. corresponding to the name can be stored in a storage unit, andmultiple pieces of textual information already stored in the storageunit can be successively displayed on a display unit (e.g. LCD) asneeded.

For example, an electronic device described in paragraph 0007 ofJapanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2006-93863 (hereinafterreferred to as a “patent document #1”) has a telephone directoryfunction of storing image data in addition to the aforementioned textualinformation, When a search is conducted by use of the telephonedirectory function, the electronic device allows the user to easilyunderstand the relationship between a person (whose name, image data,etc. have been stored in a storage unit of the electronic device) andthe user or another person based on an image (e.g. photo) including twoor more subjects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, the electronic device of the patent document #1, in which eachpiece of image data is associated with a piece of information (textualinformation) in a one-to-one correspondence, is incapable of judgingwhether information associated with a piece of image data is identicalwith information associated with another piece of image data or not evenwhen the two pieces of image data have been associated with the sameinformation.

Therefore, in cases where each area cut out from a group photo(including two or more people as subjects) is associated with personalinformation (name, phone number, etc.), for example, the electronicdevice of the patent document #1 is incapable of recognizing that aperson included in a group photo is identical with a person included inanother group photo (even when the same person is included in the twogroup photos) and handles the two identical persons as differentpersons.

Thus, even when a user, who has acquired information on a person from agroup photo, wants to search for another group photo including theperson, the electronic device of the patent document #1 (which handlestwo persons included in different group photos as different persons asabove) is incapable of assisting the user with the search. In suchcases, the user has to manually search for and find another group photo(including the person) in the memory of the electronic device, which isextremely troublesome to the user.

Further, since each piece of image data is associated with a piece ofinformation in a one-to-one correspondence in the electronic device ofthe patent document #1, alteration of the information has to be carriedout for each piece of image data, which is also troublesome to the user.For example, even when the user just wants to change information that iscommon to multiple pieces of image data, the user has to carry out thetask of changing the information for every piece of image data that hasbeen associated with the information.

The present invention, which has been made in consideration of the aboveproblems, is advantageous in that an image information storage device,an image information processing system and a computer-readable recordmedium storing a program for image information processing, capable offacilitating the management of the information (registrationinformation) associated with each image and assisting the effective useof the information, can be provided.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is providedan image information storage device, which is provided with an imagedata storage unit which stores image data, a registration informationstorage unit, a registration control unit which stores registrationinformation in the registration information storage unit whileassociating the registration information with the image data stored inthe image data storage unit according to an input specifying theassociation of the registration information with the image data, and anoutput control unit which makes an output unit output an image and/orinformation. When the output control unit makes the output unit outputan image represented by first image data stored in the image datastorage, the output control unit makes the output unit also output theregistration information which has been associated with the first imagedata, or when the output control unit makes the output unit output firstregistration information stored in the registration information storageunit, the output control unit makes the output unit also output an imagerepresented by image data which has been associated with firstregistration information. Further, when there is an input specifyingassociation of the first registration information which has already beenstored in the registration information storage unit with second imagedata, the registration control unit associates the first registrationinformation with the first image data and the second image data, andstores in the registration information storage unit.

With the image information storage device configured as above, when itis necessary to associate the same registration information with two ormore pieces of image data, the association of the registrationinformation with a latter piece of image data (a piece of image datawith which the registration information is associated later) can becarried out by use of (the same) registration information already(previously) associated with another (former) piece of image data, bywhich the image information storage device is allowed to recognize theidentity of the registration information associated with two or morepieces of image data. Consequently, the management of registrationinformation can be facilitated compared to cases where each piece ofregistration information is separately associated with each piece ofimage data (in which the image information storage device is incapableof recognizing the identity of registration information associated withtwo or more pieces of image data).

Further, since the same (i.e. common) registration information can beassociated with two or more pieces of image data, the image informationstorage device is capable of letting the user refer to two or moreimages corresponding to (associated with) a piece of registrationinformation when the registration information is specified. Therefore,the user is allowed to easily acquire additional information which cannot be acquired from the registration information alone, by viewing thetwo or more images. Similarly, since the image information storagedevice is capable of letting the user refer to registration informationthat is common to two or more images, the user is allowed to easilyacquire additional information which can not be acquired from the imagesalone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an MFP(Multi-Function Peripheral) as an image information storage device inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electricalconfiguration of the MFP.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configurationof data stored in a personal information memory of the MFP.

FIGS. 3B and 3C are schematic diagrams showing an example of theconfiguration of data stored in an image information memory of the MFP.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing a photo selection registrationscreen which is displayed on an LCD of the MFP when a registrationprocess is started.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing a button generating screen whichis displayed on the LCD during the execution of a button generatingprocess.

FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing a registration screen which isdisplayed on the LCD after an area has been set in a photo by the buttongenerating process.

FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram showing an associative registrationscreen which is displayed on the LCD when a button on the registrationscreen is touched by the user.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the overall flow of the registrationprocess.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a button generating process which isexecuted in the registration process of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a personal information registrationprocess which is executed in the registration process of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 8A-8C are schematic diagrams showing examples of a calling screenwhich is displayed on the LCD during the execution of a calling process.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the calling process executed by the MFP.

FIGS. 10A-10C are schematic diagrams showing examples of screens whichare displayed on the LCD during the execution of a call receptionprocess.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the call reception process executed bythe MFP.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of animage information processing system in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing an example of theconfiguration of data stored in a telephone directory memory as amodification of the telephone directory memory (personal informationmemory, image information memory) of FIGS. 3A-3C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a description will be given in detail ofpreferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an MFP(Multi-Function Peripheral) 1 as an image information storage device inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

The MFP 1, which is connected to a telephone circuit 100 (see FIG. 2),has not only the telephone function (telephone call via the telephonecircuit 100) and the facsimile function (data communication via thetelephone circuit 100) but also various other functions such as thescanner function, copy function, PC print function and media printfunction. The MFP 1 of this embodiment is configured as a device capableof facilitating the management of registration information (which isassociated with each image) and assisting the user to make effective useof the registration information (details will be explained later).

A scanner 20 for scanning a document, etc. during the execution of thefacsimile function, scanner function or copy function is provided on thetop of the MIT 1. A glass plate (flat bed), on which the user places adocument to be scanned, is covered by a document cover 8. For thedocument scanning, the user opens the document cover 8 upward, places adocument on the glass plate, and closes the document cover 8 to fix thedocument on the flat bed.

When document scanning is ordered by the user, the image on the (lower)surface of the document is scanned by a document scanning sensor(unshown) which is situated underneath the glass plate. Image data ofthe scanned image is stored in a prescribed storage area of a RAM 13(see FIG. 2) which will be described later.

A printer 21 (implemented by a so-called inkjet printer) is installed inthe housing of the MIT 1 as a unit for printing an image on a sheet(e.g. paper). The printer 21 is equipped with a print head (using inksof four colors CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)), a sheet feedmechanism and a recovery mechanism in order to execute color printing.The print head includes a plurality of nozzles (ink discharging holes).The printer 21 executes the printing of an image on a sheet bydischarging the inks from the nozzles while feeding the sheet with thesheet feed mechanism.

An operation panel 6 in a horizontally elongated shape is situated infront of the document cover 8. The operation panel 6 includes operationkeys 15, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 16 and a well-known touch panel17 which is formed integrally with the LCD 16. The operation keys 15include various buttons such as numeric buttons 15 a for inputting aphone number during the use of the telephone function or the facsimilefunction and a power button 15 b for turning ON/OFF the power of the MFP1.

The LCD 16 serves as a display screen for displaying a variety of imagesand information, such as operational instructions, the status of aprocess in execution and information corresponding to the pressing ofthe operation keys 15 and the touch panel 17.

When the telephone function or the facsimile function of the MET 1 isused, a calling screen 55 (see FIG. 8B for example), a call receptionscreen 56 (see FIG. 10A for example) and an absent call receptionhistory screen 57 (see FIG. 10B for example) can be displayed on the LCD16. In the displaying of the calling screen 55, etc,, the MFP 1 of thisembodiment displays information on each person (hereinafter referred toas “personal information”) already registered (stored) in a telephonedirectory memory 14 b (see FIG. 2) and an image including the person onthe LCD 16 (details will be explained later).

A handset 22, which is provided on the side face of the MFP 1, is usedwhen the user has a telephone conversation with the other party (user ofan external device which is connected to the MFP 1 via the telephonecircuit 100 (see FIG. 2)) by use of the telephone function. The handset22 is placed on a holder having a hook (unshown) when no telephoneconversation is going on. For a telephone conversation, the handset 22is lifted from the holder and used, In this embodiment, the former stateof the handset 22 is referred to as an “on-hook state” and the latterstate is referred to as an “off-hook state”. The handset 22 iselectrically connected to an NCU (Network Control Unit) 23 (see FIG. 2)when it shifts to the off-hook state and the connection with the NCU 23is released when it shills to the on-hook state.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electricalconfiguration of the MFP 1, The MFP 1 includes a CPU (Central ProcessingUnit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13,an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) 14, the operationkeys 15, the LCD 16, the touch panel 17, a clock circuit 18, the scanner20, the printer 21, the handset 22, the NCU 23 and a modem 24 as itsmain components.

The CPU 11, the ROM 12 and the RAM 13 are connected together by a busline 26. The EEPROM 14, the operation keys 15, the LCD 16, the touchpanel 17, the clock circuit 18, the scanner 20, the printer 21, thehandset 22, the NCU 23 and the modem 24 are connected to the bus line 26via an I/O (Input/Output) port 27.

The CPU 11 controls the components connected to the I/o port 27 and thefunctions of the MFP 1 according to programs and data (fixed values)stored in the ROM 12 and the RAM 13 and various signals which arecommunicated via the NCU 23.

The ROM 12 stores a control program to be executed by the CPU 11 andfixed value data to be referred to during the execution of the controlprogram. Incidentally, the ROM 12 has a storage area storing an imageinformation processing program 12 a for making the MFP 1 function as adevice facilitating the management of the registration informationassociated with each image and assisting the user to make effective useof the registration information (i.e. for the execution of flow chartsshown in FIG. 5, etc.). The RAM 13 is a rewritable volatile memory fortemporarily storing a variety of data during various operations of theMFP 1.

The EEPROM 14 is a nonvolatile memory capable of rewritably storing dataand retaining its memory contents even after the power is shut down. Asshown in FIG. 2, the EEPROM 14 includes an image data memory 14 a, thetelephone directory memory 14 b, a calling history memory 14 c and anabsent call reception history memory 14 d.

The image data memory 14 a is a storage area of the EEPROM 14 forstoring image data. The image data memory 14 a stores image datainputted from image pickup devices (e.g. digital camera), image datainputted from external devices (e.g. personal computer) connected tointerfaces (unshown) of the MFP 1 via cables, image data read out fromexternal media (SD card®, smart media®, etc.) attached to media slots(unshown) of the MFP 1, image data of photos, etc. scanned by thescanner 20, etc.

The telephone directory memory 14 b is a storage area of the EEPROM 14for storing the so-called telephone directory. In the telephonedirectory, information specifying each called party (phone number,e-mail address, etc.) to be used for communication by use of thetelephone function or the facsimile function is associated withinformation identifying the called party (name, address, etc.).

The MFP 1 of this embodiment is configured to let the user use imagesfor the telephone directory. Thus, the telephone directory memory 14 bincludes a personal information memory 14 b 1 as a storage area forstoring the personal information (name, phone number, etc.) and an imageinformation memory 14 b 2 as a storage area for associating image datawith the personal information stored in the personal information memory14 b 1 as shown in FIG. 2. The configuration of the data stored in thepersonal information memory 14 b 1 and the image information memory 14 b2 will be described later referring to FIGS. 3A-3C.

The calling history memory 14 c is a storage area of the EEPROM 14 forstoring history records of call origination (start of communication)made by the user by use of the telephone function of the MFP 1. Eachhistory record stored in the calling history memory 14 c (hereinafterreferred to also as a “calling history record”) includes the callingtime (time of day of the call origination), information representing thecalled party (e.g. phone number), and information representing a photo(image) which was being displayed in a display area 55 a of the callingscreen 55 (see FIG. 8A) at the time of call origination.

The absent call reception history memory 14 d is a storage area of theEEPROM 14 for storing history records of absent call reception(termination of a communication request received from outside (callingparty) without starting communication). Each history record stored inthe absent call reception history memory 14 d (hereinafter referred toalso as an “absent call reception history record”) includes, forexample, the time of day of the communication request and informationrepresenting the calling party (e.g. phone number) in cases where suchinformation was acquired.

The clock circuit 18 is a well-known circuit having the clock function(keeping the current date and time). The NCU 23, which is connected tothe telephone circuit 100, controls the transmission of the dialingsignal to the telephone circuit 100, the response to the call signalfrom the telephone circuit 100, etc. The modem 24 modulates image data(specified for transmission by the facsimile function) into as signalthat can. be transmitted to the telephone circuit 100 and transmits thesignal to the telephone circuit 100 via the NCU 23, while receiving asignal from the telephone circuit 100 via the NCU 23 and demodulatingthe received signal into image data that can be displayed by the LCD 16or printed by the printer 21.

In the following, the configuration of the data stored in the personalinformation memory 14 b 1 and the image information memory 14 b 2 willbe explained referring to FIGS. 3A-3C. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagramshowing an example of the configuration of the data stored in thepersonal information memory 14 b 1. FIGS. 3B and 3C are schematicdiagrams showing an example of the configuration of the data stored inthe image information memory 14 b 2.

As shown in FIG. 3A, personal information PD (on each person who hasbeen registered in the telephone directory) and a personal number P1(capable of identifying each piece of personal information PD) areassociated with each other in the personal information memory 14 b 1.

The personal information PD on a person includes information indicatingthe name P2 and the phone number P3 of the person, for example. Thepersonal information PD may further include information indicating theaddress, e-mail address and/or characteristics of the person.

The personal number P1 is a number which is uniquely assigned to eachperson who has been registered in the telephone directory. The personalnumber P1 is stored in the personal information memory 14 b 1 asidentification information for specifying the personal information PD oneach person. While the personal numbers P1 are serial numbers startingfrom “1” in the example of FIG. 3A, the personal numbers P1 do not haveto be serial numbers or start from “1” as long as the condition thateach personal number P1 is uniquely assigned to each registered personis satisfied.

Meanwhile, in the image information memory 14 b 2, an image name Q1,area information Q2 and a personal number Q3 are associated together inregard to a piece of image data specified by the image name Q1 as shownin FIGS. 3B and 3C.

The image name Q1 is information specifying a piece of image data fromall pieces of image data stored in the image data memory 14 a. A filename, internal number, etc. which has been assigned to each piece ofimage data can be used as the image name Q1. Thus, a piece of image datastored in the image data memory 14 a is specified by (the contents of)the image name Q1.

Thus, FIG. 3B shows the configuration of data stored in the imageinformation memory 14 b 2 in regard to image data of a photo (image)“friends” stored in the image data memory 14 a, and FIG. 3C shows theconfiguration of data stored in the image information memory 14 b 2 inregard to image data of a photo (image) “coworkers” stored in the imagedata memory 14 a.

The area information Q2 is information representing an area which hasbeen set in the drawing area of the image data specified by the imagename Q1. The area information Q2 includes information indicating theshape of the area (“SHAPE”), information indicating the size of the area(“SIZE”) and information indicating the position of the area in theimage data (“X COORDINATE”, “Y COORDINATE”).

When the user of the MFP 1 of this embodiment sets a desired area in aphoto (image data), the setting of the desired area is made by selectinga shape from several prepared shapes and then enlarging/reducing andmoving a frame having the selected shape (details will be explainedlater). Thus, information representing the selected shape is stored asthe “SHAPE” in the area information Q2, an enlargement/reduction scalewith respect to the initial size of the area (frame) is stored as the“SIZE” in the area information Q2, and the center coordinates (X, Y) ofthe area are stored as the “X COORDINATE” and “Y COORDINATE” in the areainformation Q2.

The personal number Q3 is a number specifying a piece of personalinformation that is associated with the area specified by the areainformation Q2. The personal number Q3 is selected from the personalnumbers P1 stored in the personal information memory 14 b 1 (FIG. 3A)and then stored in the image information memory 14 b 2. Thus, with theassociation between the personal number Q3 and the area specified by thearea information Q2, the personal information PD corresponding to(associated with) the personal number Q3 (P1) in the personalinformation memory 14 b 1 is associated with the area specified by thearea information Q2.

For example, in the case of FIG. 3B where the personal number “1” hasbeen associated with an area whose “X COORDINATE”, “Y COORDINATE”,“SHAPE” and “SIZE” are (7, 5, ELLIPSE #2, 1.6) in the photo “friends”,the personal information PD corresponding to the personal number “1” inthe personal information memory 14 b 1 shown in FIG. 3A (i.e. the nameP2 “JIRO SUZUKI” and the phone number P3 “052-xxx-1111”) is associatedwith the area.

In the example of FIG. 3B, two more areas (other than the above area)have been set in the photo “friends”, with which personal information PDspecified by the personal number “2” (i.e. “TARO KATO”, etc.) andpersonal information PD specified by the personal number “3” (i.e.“EISUKE KIMURA”, etc.) have been associated, respectively. As above, theMFP 1 of this embodiment is configured so that multiple pieces ofpersonal information PD can be associated with a piece of image data(image, photo).

Similarly, in the example of FIG. 3C, three areas have been set in thephoto “coworkers”, with which personal information PD specified by thepersonal number “1” (i.e. “JIRO SUZUKI”, etc.), personal information PDspecified by the personal number “4” (i.e. “SHINJI TAKAHASHI”, etc.) andpersonal information PD specified by the personal number “5” (i.e.“DAISAKU SATO”, etc.) have been associated, respectively.

In the example of FIGS. 3B and 3C, the personal information PD on thesame person specified by the personal number “1” has been associatedwith both the photos “friends” and “coworkers”. Since the MFP 1 of thisembodiment is configured so that the personal information PD can bereferred to from the personal information memory 14 b 1 by use of thepersonal number Q1 (personal number P1), it is unnecessary to store apiece of corresponding (associated) personal information for each pieceof image data.

Thus, with the MFP 1 of this embodiment, wastage (useless consumption)of the storage area of the EEPROM 14 can be reduced even when the samepersonal information is associated with multiple pieces of image data.

Further, since the actual contents of the personal information PD arestored only in the personal information memory 14 b 1, the management ofthe personal information PD can be facilitated compared to the easewhere a piece of corresponding (associated) personal information isstored for each piece of image data. For example, even when the samepersonal information has been associated with multiple pieces of imagedata, it is possible to change the contents of personal informationassociated with all pieces of image data by just changing the memorycontents of the personal information memory 14 b 1.

In the following, a registration process, which is executed by the MFP 1for registering an intended person in the telephone directory byassociating a piece of personal information PD with an area which is setin a photo (a piece of image data), will be described referring to FIGS.4A-7.

First, various screens which are displayed on the LCD 16 during theexecution of the registration process (flow charts of FIGS. 5-7) will beexplained referring to FIGS. 4A-4D.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing a photo selection registrationscreen 51 which is displayed first on the LCD 16 when the registrationprocess (see FIG. 5) is started. As shown in FIG. 4A, a display area 51a capable of displaying a photo (image) is formed on the left-hand sideof the photo selection registration screen 51. Tabs 51 b allowing theuser to select a photo to be displayed in the display area 51 a aredisplayed under the display area 51 a. The user can get a desired photodisplayed in the display area 51 a by touching (pressing) a tab 51 bcorresponding to the desired photo with a pointer (finger, stylus,etc.).

FIG. 4A shows a state in which three tabs 51 b have been displayed, Inthis state, the user can select a desired photo (to be displayed in thedisplay area 51 a) from three photos. Since the name of the photoassociated with each tab 51 b (“friends”, “coworkers”, “tennis”) isinscribed on each tab as shown in FIG. 4A, the user can make theselection of the desired photo (to be displayed in the display area 51a) while also checking the inscription on each tab 51 b.

Meanwhile, a confirmation button 51 c is displayed in an area on theright-hand side of the photo selection registration screen 51. When theuser touches (presses) the confirmation button 51 c with a pointer(finger, stylus, etc.), the photo currently displayed in the displayarea 51 a is finalized as the photo to be associated with personalinformation PD.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing a button generating screen 52which is displayed on the LCD 16 during the execution of a buttongenerating process (FIG. 6) for setting an area (button) in the photothat should be associated with personal information PD.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a display area 52 a similar to the aforementioneddisplay area 51 a is formed on the left-hand side of the buttongenerating screen 52. Meanwhile, a shape selecting part 52 c, a sizespecifying part 52 d and a confirmation button 52 e (for finalizing theaforementioned area) are displayed in an area 52 b on the right-handside of the button generating screen 52.

The shape selecting part 52 c is a part for displaying multiple areashapes (button shapes) to be selectable by the user. The user can selecta desired shape (area shape) for the area in the photo to be associatedwith personal information PD, by selecting the desired shape from themultiple shapes displayed in the shape selecting part 52 c and touchingthe selected shape. Specifically, when a shape displayed in the shapeselecting part 52 c is touched (selected) by the user, a frame A in theselected shape is displayed at a prescribed position in the photo (e.g.center of the photo).

The size specifying part 52 d includes two buttons for specifyingenlargement and reduction of the area so that the size of the area canbe changed and adjusted arbitrarily. When a button in the sizespecifying part 52 d is operated by the user, the size of the frame A inthe selected shape is enlarged or reduced, by which the size of the area(frame, button) in the photo to be associated with personal informationPD can be changed and adjusted.

Vertical and horizontal scroll bars 52 f and 52 g are displayed to theright of and under the display area 52 a, respectively. These scrollbars 52 f and 52 g are used for changing the position of the area(frame, button) in the photo to be associated with personal informationPD.

By dragging (touching and moving) the vertical scroll bar 52 f upward ordownward with a pointer (finger, stylus, etc.), the user can shift theposition of the frame A in the vertical direction by a distanceproportional to the moving distance of the vertical scroll bar 52 f.

Similarly, by dragging the horizontal scroll bar 52 g rightward orleftward with a pointer, the user can shift the position of the frame Ain the horizontal direction by a distance proportional to the movingdistance of the horizontal scroll bar 52 g.

When the user touches (presses) the confirmation button 52 e afterplacing the frame A in the desired size at a desired position (e.g. theposition of a face B shown in FIG. 4B), an area having a boundarydefined by the frame A is finalized.

As described above, the MFP 1 of this embodiment is configured to letthe user select the shape of the area (to be associated with personalinformation PD) from the button generating screen 52 (shape selectingpart 52 c) in the setting of the area in the photo (image), whichfacilitates the area setting operation by the user.

Further, the MFP 1 of this embodiment allows the user to arbitrarily setthe size and position of the selected area by use of the size specifyingpart 52 d and the scroll bars 52 f and 52 g displayed on the buttongenerating screen 52, which also facilitates the area setting operation.

FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing a registration screen 53 which isdisplayed on the LCD 16 after the area has been set in the photo by thebutton generating process (FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 4C, a display area53 a similar to the aforementioned display area 51 a is formed on theleft-hand side of the registration screen 53. In the display area 53 aof the registration screen 53, the photo, in which the area to beassociated with personal information PD has been set by the execution ofthe button generating process (FIG. 6), is displayed.

Meanwhile, a button 53 b with an inscription “REGISTER TELEPHONEDIRECTORY DATA”, a button 53 c with an inscription “ASSOCIATE WITH OTHERBUTTON′S DATA” and a “RETURN” button 53 d (for instructing the MFP 1 toreturn the display to the button generating screen 52 and reexecute thebutton generating process (FIG. 6)) are displayed in an area on theright-hand side of the registration screen 53.

When the button 53 b (“REGISTER TELEPHONE DIRECTORY DATA”) on theregistration screen 53 is touched by the user with a pointer (finger,stylus, etc.), a personal information input screen (unshown), forletting the user input new personal information PD regarding the area(button) set in the photo, is displayed on the LCD 16. By inputtingpersonal information PD to the personal information input screen, thepersonal information PD added to the personal information memory 14 b 1can be associated with the area set in the photo.

When the button 53 c (“ASSOCIATE. WITH OTHER BUTTON'S DATA”) on theregistration screen 53 is touched by the user with a pointer, the useris allowed to associate personal information PD already associated withanother photo (i.e. personal information PD already stored in thepersonal information memory 14 b 1) with the area (button) set in thephoto (details will be explained later).

FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram showing an associative registrationscreen 54 which is displayed on the LCD 16 when the button 53 c(“ASSOCIATE WITH OTHER BUTTONS DATA”) on the registration screen 53 istouched by the user. As shown in FIG. 4D, a display area Ma similar tothe aforementioned display area 51 a is formed on the left-hand side ofthe associative registration screen 54.

On the associative registration screen 54, tabs 54 c similar to the tabs51 b (see FIG. 4A) are displayed under the display area 54 a. Byoperating the tabs 54 c, the user can select a photo other than theaforementioned photo (in which the area to be associated with personalinformation PD has already been set by the execution of the buttongenerating process (FIG. 6)).

In an area 54 b on the right-hand side of the associative registrationscreen 54, personal information PD that has been associated with an area(in the photo displayed in the display area 54 a) specified by the useris displayed.

The area 54 b includes an “ASSOCIATE” button 54 d for finalizing thepersonal information PD to be associated with the area (button) set inthe photo (i.e. personal information PD already associated with anotherphoto).

By use of the associative registration screen 54, the user can associatethe same personal information PD with multiple photos (multiple piecesof image data), that is, let the same personal information PD be sharedby multiple photos (details will be explained later). Therefore, theassociation of the same personal information PD with multiple photos canhe realized with ease.

In the following, the registration process, for registering an intendedperson in the telephone directory (telephone directory memory 14 b) byassociating personal information PD on the person with an area set in aphoto (a piece of image data), will be described in detail referring toFIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the overall flow of theregistration process which is executed by the MFP 1 configured as above.

The registration process is started when an instruction for telephonedirectory registration is inputted by the user. At the start of theregistration process, the MFP displays the photo selection registrationscreen 51 on the LCD 16 (S1) and checks whether the confirmation button51 c on the photo selection registration screen 51 has been touched ornot (S2).

When the confirmation button 51 c has not been touched yet (S2: NO), theMFP 1 checks whether a different photo (image) has been selected as thephoto to be displayed in the display area 51 a, that is, whether the tab51 b of a photo other than the photo currently displayed in the displayarea 51 a has been touched (S8).

When a different photo has been selected (S8: YES), the MFP 1 changesthe photo displayed in the display area 51 a into the selected photo(S9) and thereafter returns to the step S2. On the other hand, when nodifferent photo has been selected in S8 (S8: NO), the MFP 1 directlyreturns to the step S2.

When the confirmation button 51 c has been touched in S2 (S2: YES), theMFP 1 displays the button generating screen 52 on the LCD 16 instead ofthe photo selection registration screen 51 (S3) and then executes thebutton generating process (S4) for setting an area (button) in the phototo be associated with personal information PD. The details of the buttongenerating process (S4) will be described later referring to FIG. 6.

After executing the button generating process (S4), the MFP 1 displaysthe registration screen 53 on the LCD 16 instead of the buttongenerating screen 52 (S5) and then executes a personal informationregistration process (S6) for associating personal information PD withthe area (button) which has been set by the button generating process(S4) to be associated with the personal information PD. The details ofthe personal information registration process (S6) will be describedlater referring to FIG. 7.

After executing the personal information registration process (S6), theregistration process of FIG. 5 is ended since the task of associatingpersonal information PD with a photo has been finished. As above, by theexecution of the registration process (FIG. 5), personal information PDis associated with a desired area in a photo.

Next, the details of the aforementioned button generating process (S4 inFIG. 5) will be described referring to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flow chartshowing the button generating process (S4) which is executed in theregistration process of FIG. 5. At the start of the button generatingprocess (S4), the MFP 1 checks whether the confirmation button 52 e hasbeen touched or not (S21).

When the confirmation button 52 e has not been touched yet (S21: NO),the MFP checks whether the shape of the area has been selected, that is,whether a shape displayed in the shape selecting part 52 c has beentouched (S22).

When the shape of the area has already been selected (S22: YES), the MFP1 displays (overlays) a flame in the selected shape and in a prescribedsize (initial size) at a prescribed position (e.g. center) on the photodisplayed in the display area 52 a (S23) and thereafter advances to stepS24. On the other hand, when the area shape has not been selected yet(S22: NO), the MFP 1 advances to the step S24 while skipping the stepS23.

In the step S24, the MFP 1 checks whether the size of the area has beenchanged, that is, whether at least one of the buttons displayed in thesize specifying part 52 d has been touched. When the size of the areahas been changed (S24: YES), the MFP 1 changes (enlarges/reduces) thesize of the displayed frame by an amount (scaling factor) specifiedthrough the buttons of the size specifying part 52 d (S25) andthereafter advances to step S26. When the size of the area has not beenchanged in S24 (S24: NO), the MFP 1 advances to the step S26 whileskipping the step S25.

In the step S26, the MFP 1 checks whether the position of the area hasbeen changed, that is, whether the scroll bar 52 f or 52 g has beenmoved (operated) by the user. When the position of the area has beenchanged (S26: YES), the MFP 1 moves the displayed frame to a positionthat is specified by moving direction/distance corresponding to themovement of the scroll bars 52 f and 52 g operated by the user (S27) andthereafter returns to the step S21. When the position of the area hasnot been changed in S26 (S26: NO), the MFP 1 returns to the step S21while skipping the step S27.

When the confirmation button 52 e has been touched in S21 (S21: YES),the MFP 1 stores an image name Q1 (representing the photo (image, imagedata) currently displayed in the display area 52 a) and area informationQ2 (indicating the shape, size and position of the area) in the imageinformation memory 14 b 2 while associating them with each other (S28)and ends the button generating process of FIG. 6 (S4 in FIG. 5).

Next, the details of the aforementioned personal informationregistration process (S6 in FIG. 5), for associating personalinformation PD with the area (button) which has been set by the buttongenerating process (S4) to be associated with the personal informationPD, will be described referring to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flow chartshowing the personal information registration process (S6) which isexecuted in the registration process of FIG. 5.

At the start of the personal information registration process (S6), theMFP 1 checks whether the “RETURN” button 53 d has been touched or not(S41). When the “RETURN” button 53 d has been touched (S41: YES), theMFP 1 returns to the step S3 in FIG. 5.

When the “RETURN” button 53 d has not been touched in S41 (S41: NO), theMFP 1 checks whether the button 53 b with the inscription “REGISTERTELEPHONE DIRECTORY DATA” has been touched or not (S42).

When the button 53 b (“REGISTER TELEPHONE DIRECTORY DATA”) has beentouched (S42: YES), the MFP 1 displays the personal information inputscreen (unshown), for letting the user input personal information PD inregard to the area (button) set in the photo, on the LCD 16 and therebylets the user input the personal information PD (S52).

Subsequently, the MFP 1 stores the inputted personal information PD inthe personal information memory 14 b 1 (S53), associates a personalnumber P1 representing the personal information PD stored in thepersonal information memory 14 b 1 in S53 with the information (imagename Q1, area information Q2) stored in the image information memory 14b 2 in S28 in FIG. 6 (S54), and ends the personal informationregistration process of FIG. 7 (S6).

On the other hand, when the button 53 b (“REGISTER TELEPHONE DIRECTORYDATA”) has not been touched in S42 (S42: NO), the MFP 1 checks whetherthe button 53 c with the inscription “ASSOCIATE WITH OTHER. BUTTON'SDATA” has been touched or not (S43). When the button 53 c has not beentouched (S43: NO), the MFP 1 returns to the step S41.

When the button 53 c (“ASSOCIATE WITH OTHER BUTTON′S DATA”) has beentouched (S43: YES), the MFP 1 displays the associative registrationscreen 54 on the LCD 16 instead of the registration screen 53 (S44).

Subsequently, the MFP 1 checks whether a different photo (image) hasbeen selected as the photo to be displayed in the display area 54 a,that is, whether the tab 54 c of a photo other than the photo currentlydisplayed in the display area 54 a has been selected (S45). When adifferent photo has been selected, that is, when the user intends tochange the displayed photo (S45: YES), the MFP 1 changes the photodisplayed in the display area 54 a into the selected photo (S46) andthereafter advances to step S47. When 110 different photo has beenselected in S45 (S45: NO), the MFP 1 advances to the step S47 whileskipping the step S46.

In the step S47, the MFP 1 checks whether a part of the photo displayedin the display area 54 a has been touched by the user with a pointer(linger, stylus, etc.). When a part of the photo has been touched (S47:YES), the MFP 1 checks whether an area that has been associated withpersonal information PD (i.e. an area whose area information Q2 has beenstored in the image information memory 14 b 2) has been touched or not(S48).

When an area (in the photo currently displayed in the display area 54 a)associated with personal information PD has been touched (S48: YES), theMFP 1 reads out the personal information PD (associated with the touchedarea) from the telephone directory memory 14 b (personal informationmemory 14 b 1, image information memory 14 b 2), displays the personalinformation PD in the area 54 b of the associative registration screen54 (S49), and thereafter advances to step S50.

On the other hand, when a part (of the photo currently displayed in thedisplay area 54 a) not included in any area associated with personalinformation PD has been touched (S48: NO), the MFP 1 advances to thestep S50 while skipping the step S49 since there exists no personalinformation PD that can be displayed in the area 54 b. Also when no partof the photo displayed in the display area 54 a has been touched by theuser in S47 (S47: NO), the MFP 1 advances to the step S50 withoutexecuting the step S49.

In the step S50, the MFP 1 checks whether the “ASSOCIATE” button 54 d onthe associative registration screen 54 has been touched. When the“ASSOCIATE” button 54 d has not been touched (S50: NO), the MFP 1returns to the step S45.

When the “ASSOCIATE” button 54 d has been touched in S50 (S50: YES), theMFP 1 associates the personal number P1 representing the personalinformation PD currently displayed in the area 54 b (i.e. personalinformation PD specified/selected by the user for association out of allthe personal information PD stored in the personal information memory 14b 1) with the information (image name Q1, area information Q2) stored inthe image information memory 14 b 2 in the step S28 in FIG. 6 (S51), andends the personal information registration process of FIG. 7 (S6).

As a result of the step S51, personal information PD already associatedwith a different photo (i.e. personal information PD already stored inthe personal information memory 14 b 1) is associated with the area inthe photo which has been set in the button generating process (S4 inFIG. 5) without the need of newly storing the personal information PD inthe personal information memory 14 b 1. Therefore, the personalinformation memory 14 b 1 is prevented from storing personal informationPD on the same person redundantly, by which wastage (uselessconsumption) of the storage area of the EEPROM 14 can be reduced.

In the following, a case where the user makes a phone call to a person(called party) by use of the telephone directory stored in the telephonedirectory memory 14 b will be explained referring to FIGS. 8A-8C andFIG. 9. First, the calling screen 55, which is displayed on the LCD 16during the execution of a calling process (flow chart of FIG. 9), willbe explained referring to FIGS. 8A-8C. FIGS. 8A-8C are schematicdiagrams showing examples of the calling screen 55.

FIG. 8A shows a status of the calling screen 55 when the user selects aphoto that includes desired personal information PD. A display area 55 acapable of displaying a photo (image) is formed on the left-hand side ofthe calling screen 55, in which a photo selected by the user isdisplayed. Tabs 55 b allowing the user to select a photo to be displayedin the display area 55 a are displayed under the display area 55 a. Theuser can get a desired photo (including an intended called party)displayed in the display area 55 a by touching a tab 55 b correspondingto the desired photo with a pointer (finger, stylus, etc.).

FIG. 8B shows a status of the calling screen 55 when an area (button inthe photo currently displayed in the display area 55 a) that has beenassociated with personal information PD on the intended called party hasbeen touched by the user. When an area already associated with personalinformation PD (e.g. area 55 c shown in FIG. 8B) is touched, the touchedarea (e.g. 55 c) is highlighted (blinked) to let the area bedistinguishable from other areas.

In the case where an area already associated with personal informationPD (e.g. area 55 c) is touched by the user, the personal information PDassociated with the. touched (selected) area is displayed in an area 55d on the right-hand side of the calling screen 55, together with adialing button 55 e for dialing the phone number included in thepersonal information PD displayed in the area 55 d.

FIG. 8C shows a status of the calling screen 55 when the person havingthe personal information PD currently displayed in the area 55 d (i.e.the person associated with the area 55 c in the photo currentlydisplayed in the display area 55 a) is determined as the called partyand the dialing is carried out, As shown in FIG. 8C, the user canoriginate the call to the called party (associated with the selectedarea 55 c) by touching the dialing button 55 e being displayed in thearea 55 d together with the personal information PD.

Next, the details of the calling process, for originating a call to acalled party selected from the telephone directory, will be explainedreferring to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the calling processwhich is executed by the MFP 1. The calling process is started when aninstruction for selecting a telephone mode of the MFP 1 is inputted bythe user. At the start of the calling process, the MFP 1 displays thecalling screen 55 on the LCD 16 (S61) and cheeks whether the dialingbutton 55 e on the calling screen 55 has been touched by the user or not(S62).

When the dialing button 55 e has not been touched (S62; NO), the MFP 1checks whether a different photo has been selected by the user as thephoto to be displayed in the display area 55 a, that is, whether a tab55 b of a photo other than the photo currently displayed in the displayarea 55 a has been selected by the user (S63).

When a different photo has been selected, that is, when the user intendsto change the displayed photo (S63: YES), the MFP 1 changes the photodisplayed in the display area 55 a into the selected photo (S64) andthereafter advances to step S65. When no different photo has beenselected in S63 (S63: NO), the MIT 1 advances to the step S65 whileskipping the step S64.

In the step S65, the MFP 1 checks whether the selected person has beenchanged, that is, whether a different area (button) in the photo hasbeen touched, When the selected person has been changed (S65: YES), theMFP 1 reads out personal information PD on the currently selected person(i.e. personal information PD associated with the selected area) fromthe telephone directory memory 14 b (personal information memory 14 b 1,image information memory 14 b 2), displays the personal information PDin the area 55 d of the calling screen 55 (S66), and returns to the stepS62.

On the other hand, when the selected person has not been changed in S65,that is, when no other area in the photo has been touched (S65: NO), theMFP 1 directly returns to the step S62.

When the dialing button 55 e has been touched in S62 (S62: NO), the MFP1 dials the phone number P3 included in the personal information PDcurrently displayed in the area 55 d (i.e. personal information PDassociated with the area 55 e selected by the user) (S67). Subsequently,the MFP 1 stores the calling time (time of day of the call origination),the phone number (as the information representing the called party) andinformation representing the photo (image) currently displayed in thedisplay area 55 a (at the time of call origination) in the callinghistory memory 14 c as a calling history record (S68), starts the callorigination (S69), and ends the calling process of FIG. 9.

As described above, in the calling process executed by the MFP 1 of thisembodiment, the user is allowed to determine the called party whilereferring to a photo (image) displayed on the LCD 16 (specifically, inthe display area 55 a of the calling screen 55). Since the selectioninput of the called party can be made based on the photo displayed onthe LCD 16, the user starting the communication can select a person whois suggested by the photo as a called party, by which the user isallowed to start the communication after having a good grasp ofinformation on the called party.

In the following, a case where the MFP 1 (receiving a phone call)informs the user of the calling party (sending a communication request)by use of a photo stored (registered) in the telephone directory memory14 b will be explained referring to FIGS. 10A-10C and FIG. 11. First,screens which are displayed on the LCD 16 during the execution of a callreception process (flow chart of FIG. 11) will be explained referring toFIGS. 10A-10C. FIGS. 10A-10C are schematic diagrams showing examples ofthe screens displayed on the LCD 16 during the execution of the callreception process (FIG. 11) which will be explained later.

FIG. 10A shows an example of the call reception screen 56 which isdisplayed on the LCD 16 when a communication request (incoming call) isreceived by the MFP 1. As shown in FIG. 10A, a display area 56 a capableof displaying a photo (image) is formed on the left-hand side of thecall reception screen 56.

In the case where a communication request is received, a photo that isselected according to preset rules is displayed in the call receptionprocess of FIG. 11 (details will be explained later). In this case, ifthe calling party (sender of the communication request) is a personalready stored (registered) in the telephone directory memory 14 b, anarea (in the displayed photo) that has been associated with the personalinformation PD on the calling party (e.g. area 56 b) is highlighted(blinked) to let the area be distinguishable from other areas.

Further, a message 56 d saving “INCOMING CALL” and a speaker phonebutton 56 e (for requesting line connection) are displayed in an area 56c on the right-hand side of the call reception screen 56. If the callingparty (sender of the communication request) has already been stored(registered) in the telephone directory memory 14 b, the personalinformation PD on the calling party is also displayed in the area 56 c.When the speaker phone button 56 e on the call reception screen 56 istouched by the user, the line is connected, by which the communicationwith the calling party is made possible.

Incidentally, when there are two or more photos including the callingparty, two or more tabs 56 f (inscribed with the photo names of thephotos including the calling party) are displayed so as to let the userselect and change the photo displayed in the display area 56 a.Therefore, the user can start the telephone conversation with thecalling party after having a good grasp of information on the callingparty by properly changing the photo displayed in the display area 56 a(i.e. by properly touching the tabs 56 f).

FIGS. 10B and 10C show examples of the absent call reception historyscreen 57 which indicates the status of the absent call receptionhistory. Specifically, FIG. 10B shows a case where only one absent callreception history record has been stored in the absent call receptionhistory memory 14 d and FIG. 10C shows a case where two or more absentcall reception history records have been stored in the absent callreception history memory 14 d.

As shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C, a display area 57 a capable of displayinga photo (image) is formed on the left-hand side of the absent callreception history screen 57. Under the display area 57 a, tabs 57 b (inFIG. 10B) or tabs 57 c (in FIG. 10C) are displayed. The user can selectthe photo to be displayed in the display area 57 a by touching one ofthe tabs,

In the case of FIG. 10B where there is only one absent call receptionhistory record, a photo name is inscribed on each tab 57 b. When thereare two or more photos including the calling party recorded in theabsent call reception history record, two or more tabs 57 b inscribedwith the photo names of the photos are displayed. The user is allowed toacquire a lot of information on the calling party recorded in the absentcall reception history record by properly changing the photo displayedin the display area 57 a (i.e. by properly touching the tabs 57 b).

In the case of FIG. 10C where there are two or more absent callreception history records, call reception time (time of day of callreception) is inscribed on each tab 57 c. Incidentally, when thereexists a photo that includes two or more calling parties recorded in theabsent call reception history records, two or more tabs 57 c areassociated with a photo as shown in FIG. 10C.

In such cases where a photo is displayed in the display area 57 a of theabsent call reception history screen 57, each area 57 d associated witha calling party recorded in an absent call reception history record ishighlighted (blinked) to let the area be distinguishable from otherareas, and the call reception time 57 e is displayed in the vicinity ofthe area 57 d as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C.

Meanwhile, in an area 57 f on the right-hand side of the absent callreception history screen 57, personal information PD representing acalling party is displayed. When there are two or more absent callreception history records, a piece of personal information PD associatedwith a photo and an area selected by the user is displayed in the area57 f. The area 57 f includes a dialing button 57 g for dialing the phonenumber included in the personal information PD displayed in the area 57f. The user can originate a call to the “calling party” (whose personalinformation PD is currently displayed in the area 57 f) by touching thedialing button 57 g being displayed in the area 57 f together with thepersonal information PD.

Next, the details of the call reception process, which is executed inresponse to a communication request, will be explained referring to FIG.11. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the call reception process which isexecuted by the MFP 1. The call reception process is started when acommunication request is received from (a communication device of) acalling party. At the start of the call reception process, the MFP 1checks whether there exists an absent call reception history recordwhich has been stored in the absent call reception history memory 14 d(S81).

When there exists an absent call reception history record (S81: YES),the MFP 1 checks whether a photo including the calling party (sender ofthe communication request) together with another person who has beenrecorded in an absent call reception history record has been registeredin the telephone directory memory 14 b (image information memory 14 b 2)(S82).

When a photo including the calling party together with another personrecorded in an absent call reception history record has been registeredin the telephone directory memory 14 b (S82: YES), the MFP 1 displaysthe call reception screen 56 on the LCD 16 by use of the photo(including the calling party and another person recorded in an absentcall reception history record) (S83). In the photo displayed in thedisplay area 56 a of the call reception screen 56, an area associatedwith the calling party is highlighted (blinked) to let the area bedistinguishable from other areas (see FIG. 10A).

When no absent call reception history record has been stored in theabsent call reception history memory 14 d in S81 (S81: NO) or when nophoto, including the calling party together with another person recordedin an absent call reception history record, has been registered in thetelephone directory memory 14 b in S82 (S82: NO), the MFP 1 checkswhether a calling history record indicating a calling to the callingparty (sender of the communication request) has been stored in thecalling history memory 14 c (S87).

When there exists such a calling history record in the calling historymemory 14 c (S87: YES), the MFP 1 displays the call reception screen 56on the LCD 16 by use of a photo that was used in the last calling(latest calling) among such calling history records stored in thecalling history memory 14 c (S88). In the photo displayed in the displayarea 56 a of the call reception screen 56, an area associated with thecalling party is highlighted (blinked) to let the area bedistinguishable from other areas (see FIG. 10A).

On the other hand, when no such calling history record (indicating acalling to the calling party sending the communication request) existsin the calling history memory 14 c in S87 (S87: NO), the MFP 1 checkswhether there are two or more photos associated with the calling partyin the telephone directory memory 14 b (image information memory 14 b 2)(S89).

When there are two or more photos associated with the calling party(S89: YES), the MFP 1 checks whether a group photo (including two ormore people as subjects) is included in the photos associated with thecalling party (S90).

When the photos associated with the calling party include one or moregroup photos (S90: YES), the MFP 1 displays the call reception screen 56on the LCD 16 by use of one of the group photos that was stored(registered) in the telephone directory memory 14 b first (S91). In thephoto displayed in the display area 56 a of the call reception screen56, an area associated with the calling party is highlighted (blinked)to let the area be distinguishable from other areas (see FIG. 10A).

On the other hand, when no group photo is included in the photosassociated with the calling party (S90: NO), the MFP 1 displays the callreception screen 56 on the LCD 16 by use of one of the photos(associated with the calling party) that was stored in the telephonedirectory memory 14 h first (S93). In the photo displayed in the displayarea 56 a, an area associated with the calling party is highlighted(blinked) to let the area be distinguishable from other areas (see FIG.10A).

When there are not two or more photos associated with the calling partyin S89 (S89: NO), the MFP 1 checks whether there exists a photoassociated with the calling party in the telephone directory memory 14 b(S92).

When at least one photo associated with the calling party exists in thetelephone directory memory 14 b (S92: YES), the MFP 1 displays the callreception screen 56 on the LCD 16 by use of one of the photos(associated with the calling party) that was stored in the telephonedirectory memory 14 b first (S93). In the photo displayed in the displayarea 56 a, an area associated with the calling party is highlighted(blinked) to let the area be distinguishable from other areas (see FIG.10A).

On the other hand, when no photo associated with the calling partyexists in the telephone directory memory 14 b (S92: NO), the MFP 1displays the call reception screen 56 on the LCD 16 by use of an imagewhich has been predetermined irrespective of the calling party (e.g. animage including a human-shaped icon and a character string “NO DATA”)(S94).

As above, when a communication request is received, a photo selectedaccording to preset rules is displayed in the display area 56 a of thecall reception screen 56 by the steps S81-S83 and S87-S94. Thus, theuser can acquire additional information on the calling party with ease,by viewing the whole of the photo displayed in the display area 56 a.

In eases where the photo (image) displayed in the display area 56 a is aphoto including the calling party, an area corresponding to (associatedwith) the calling party (area 56 b in FIG. 10A) is highlighted (blinked)to let the area be distinguishable from other areas, by which thecalling party is emphasized in the photo. Since the area associated withthe calling party stands out from the photo which is displayed uponreception of the communication request, the user can visually recognizethe calling party in the photo with ease.

After finishing the step S83, S88, S91, S93 or S94, the MFP 1 startsringing (S84) and then checks whether the speaker phone button 56 e hasbeen touched or not (S85). When the speaker phone button 56 e has beentouched (S85: YES), the MFP 1 enables the telephone conversation byconnecting the line (S86) and ends the call reception process of FIG.11.

When the speaker phone button 56 e has not been touched in S85 (S85:NO), the MFP 1 checks whether the calling (communication request) fromthe calling party has terminated or not (S95).

When the calling from the calling party has not terminated (S95: NO),the MFP 1 returns to the step S85. When the calling has terminated (S95:YES), the MFP 1 stores communication request time (time of day of thereception of the communication request) and the phone number of thecalling party (as information representing the calling party) in theabsent call reception history memory 14 d as an absent call receptionhistory record (S96).

Subsequently, the MFP 1 displays the absent call reception historyscreen 57 on the LCD 16 instead of the call reception screen 56 (S97)and ends the call reception process of FIG. 11. In this case where theabsent call reception history screen 57 is displayed on the LCD 16(S97), the photo (image) to be displayed in the display area 57 a firstis selected according to the same rules as the aforementioned stepsS81-S83 and S87-S94.

As described above, with the MFP 1 in accordance with the firstembodiment of the present invention, when it is necessary to associatethe same personal information PD with two or more photos (images, imagedata), the association of the personal information PD with a latterphoto (a photo (e.g. “coworkers”) with which the personal information PDis associated later) can be carried out by use of (the same) personalinformation PD already associated with another (former) photo (e.g.“friends”), by which the CPU 11 is allowed to recognize the identity ofthe personal information PD associated with the photos. Consequently,the management of personal information PD can be facilitated compared tocases where each piece of personal information PD is separatelyassociated with each photo (in which the CPU 11 is incapable ofrecognizing the identity of personal information PD associated with twoor more photos).

Further, since common personal information PD can be associated with twoor more photos, the MFP 1 is capable of letting the user refer to two ormore photos corresponding to (associated with) a piece of personalinformation PD when the personal information PD is specified. Therefore,the user is allowed to easily acquire additional information which cannot be acquired from the personal information PD alone (e.g. personalconnections) by viewing the two or more photos.

Furthermore, the MFP 1 is capable of letting the user specify an areathat has been set in a photo and then displaying the personalinformation PD already associated with the specified area, which allowsthe user to carry out the search for desired personal information PDwith ease.

Embodiment 2

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of animage information processing system 500 in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention. While the user in the firstembodiment associates personal information PD with a photo (image, imagedata) by operating the MFP 1, the user in the second embodiment carriesout the association of personal information PD with a photo (image,image data) by operating a PC (Personal Computer) 200 which is connectedto the MFP 1. In the following explanation of the image informationprocessing system 500, components identical with those in the firstembodiment are assigned the same reference characters as those in thefirst embodiment and repeated explanation thereof is omitted forbrevity.

As shown in FIG. 12, the image information processing system 500 is madeup of the MFP 1 and the PC 200, which are connected together via an I/F(interface) 31 of the MFP 1, a communication cable and an I/F 231 of thePC 200.

The MFP 1 in the second embodiment has the same electrical configurationas that in the first embodiment except for the I/F 31. In the secondembodiment, the image information processing program 12 a is configurednot to execute the process for associating personal information with aphoto (i.e. the registration process (FIG. 5), the button generatingprocess (FIG. 6) and the personal information registration process (FIG.7)).

The PC 200 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, an input unit 215and an LCD 216 as its main components. The CPU 211, the ROM 212 and theRAM 213 are connected together by a bus line 226. The input unit 215 andthe LCD 216 are connected to the bus line 226 via an I/O port 227.

The CPU 211 controls the components connected to the I/O port 227 andthe functions of the PC 200 according to programs and data (fixedvalues) stored in the ROM 212 and the RAM 213 and various signals whichare communicated via an NCU 223. The RAM 213 is a rewritable volatilememory for temporarily storing a variety of data during variousoperations of the PC 200.

The ROM 212 stores a control program to be executed by the CPU 211 andfixed value data to be referred to during the execution of the controlprogram. The ROM 212 has a storage area storing a registration program212 a. The registration program 212 a is a program for executing aprocess corresponding to the process executed by the MFP 1 in the firstembodiment for associating personal information with a photo(registration process (FIG. 5), button generating process (FIG. 6),personal information registration process (FIG. 7)).

The input unit 215 is a unit for letting the user input information andinstructions to the PC 200, which can include a keyboard and a mouse,for example. The input unit 215 may also be implemented as a touch panelwhich is formed integrally with the LCD 216.

In the second embodiment, a process corresponding to the registrationprocess (FIG. 5), the button generating process (FIG. 6) and thepersonal information registration process (FIG. 7) is executed by the PC200, Specifically, in the registration process, etc. in the secondembodiment, each screen (51-54, etc.) is displayed on the LCD 216 of thePC 200, and each instruction is inputted by the user by operating theinput unit 215 instead of touching the screen with a pointer (finger,stylus, etc.). Incidentally, the photo to be displayed on each screen(51-54, etc.) is read out from the image data memory 14 a of the MFP 1and the information registered in the telephone directory is stored inthe telephone directory memory 14 b (personal information memory 14 b 1,image information memory 14 b 2) of the MFP 1 similarly to the firstembodiment.

With the above image information processing system 500 in accordancewith the second embodiment of the present invention, when it isnecessary to associate the same personal information PD with two or morephotos, the association of the personal information PD with a latterphoto (a photo with which the personal information PD is associatedlater) can be carried out by use of (the same) personal information PDalready associated with another (former) photo, similarly to the MFP 1of the first embodiment. Thus, the image information processing system500 of this embodiment has the same advantages as the MFP 1 of the firstembodiment.

While a description has been given above of preferred embodiments inaccordance with the present invention, the present invention is not tobe restricted by the particular illustrative embodiments and a varietyof modifications, design changes, etc. are possible without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the present invention described in theappended claims.

For example, while the user is allowed to refer to multiple photos(images) corresponding to (associated with) a piece of personalinformation PD by specifying the piece of personal information PD, it isalso possible to let the user refer to a piece of personal informationPD that is common to multiple photos (by associating common personalinformation PD with multiple photos). With the possibility of referringto personal information PD common to multiple photos, the user canacquire additional information (which can not be acquired from one photoalone) with ease.

In such cases where the user refers to multiple photos corresponding to(associated with) a piece of personal information PD or the user refersto personal information PD common to multiple photos, the personalinformation PD and the photos are outputted to the LCD 16 of the MFP 1in the above embodiment. However, the personal information PD and thephotos may also be outputted to a different device, such as the printer21 of the MFP 1, the display of an external device connected to the MFP1 (e.g. the LCD 216 of the PC 200) or a printer which is connected to anexternal device (e.g. PC 200) connected to the MFP 1.

While an area Which has been set in a photo is specified (selected) bythe user by touching the area in the photo displayed on the LCD 16(formed integrally with the touch panel 17) in the above embodiments,the specification (selection) of an area set in a photo may also be madeby surrounding (with a pen, marker, etc.) a desired area (intended forthe specification) in the photo printed out by the printer and thenscanning the marked photo with the scanner. The specification(selection) may also be made by use of a cursor, pointer, etc. which canbe moved on the photo displayed on the LCD 16 by operating the operationkeys 15, etc.

While personal information PD (information on a person) is associatedwith a photo in the above embodiments, the information associated with aphoto is not restricted to personal information PD; a variety ofnecessary information (e.g. information on a device, object, naturalobject, etc. included in the photo) may be associated with the photo,Further, the target with which the personal information PD is associatedis not restricted to a photo; the personal information PD may also beassociated with various types of image data graphics of a painting, acharacter, etc.).

While a person (face) included in a photo is set as an area to beassociated with personal information PD in the above embodiments, thearea set in a photo is not restricted to a person; an arbitrary area ina photo can he set as an area to be associated with personal informationPD.

While a piece of personal information PD is associated with an area inthe above embodiments, two or more pieces of personal information PD maybe associated with an area. For example, when a house is included in aphoto as a subject, it is possible to set the house as an area andassociate multiple pieces of personal information PD (on all familymembers living in the house, for example) with the area.

In the above embodiments, the telephone directory memory 14 b is made upof the personal information memory 14 b 1 (storing the personalinformation PD) and the image information memory 14 b 2 (storing theimage name Q1 and the personal number P1 corresponding to the personalinformation PD stored in the personal information memory 14 b 1). Withsuch a data configuration, wastage (useless consumption) of the storagearea of the EEPROM 14 can he reduced even when the same personalinformation is associated with multiple pieces of image data.

However, the data configuration of the telephone directory memory is notrestricted to the above configuration. FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematicdiagrams showing an example of the configuration of data stored in atelephone directory memory 140 b as a modification of the telephonedirectory memory 14 b.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the telephone directory memory 140 b isconfigured to be capable of storing area information R2, personalinformation PD (including a name R3, a phone number R4, etc.) and apersonal number R5 for each piece of image data which is specified by animage name R1.

When a piece of personal information PD is associated with a photo (e.g.“friends”) for the first time, the personal information PD is stored ina data area of the telephone directory memory 140 b associated with theimage data (photo) specified by the image name R1 “friends”, for example(as shown in the line L1 in FIG. 13A).

On the other hand, when a piece of personal information PD that shouldbe associated with a photo (e.g. “coworkers”) has already beenassociated with a different photo (e.g. “friends”), the personalinformation PD is not stored in a data area of the telephone directorymemory 140 b associated with the image data (photo) specified by theimage name R1 “coworkers”, as shown in the line L2 in FIG. 13B. However,the personal information PD can be referred to in a data area of thetelephone directory memory 140 b associated with the image data (photo)specified by the image name R1 “friends”, by use of the personal number“A1” (personal number R5 in the line L2).

As above, also with the data configuration shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B,wastage (useless consumption) of the storage area of the EEPROM 14 canbe reduced even when the same personal information is associated withmultiple pieces of image data.

While the personal information PD, the area information Q2, etc. arestored in the telephone directory memory 14 b separately from the imagedata stored in the image data memory 14 a in the above embodiments, itis also possible to store the personal information PD, the areainformation Q2, etc, in the header of the image data. In cases where thesame personal information is associated with multiple pieces of imagedata, personal information PD already associated with a different pieceof image data can be referred to by use of identification informationsuch as the personal number P1.

While the user is allowed to set a desired area in the displayed photoby selecting the shape of the area and enlarging/reducing and moving theselected area by use of the button generating screen 52 in the aboveembodiments, the setting of the area may be made without using thebutton generating screen 52. For example, the user may be allowed to seta desired area in the displayed photo by tracing (surrounding) the areawith a pointer (finger, stylus, etc.).

In the above embodiments, an area in the displayed photo correspondingto the other party (calling party, called party) is highlighted on thecalling screen 55, call reception screen 56, absent call receptionhistory screen 57, etc. by displaying the area in a specific displaystyle (e.g. blinking) distinguishable from the other areas. The displaystyle for making the area (corresponding to the other party)distinguishable from the other areas can include a wide variety ofstyles (blinking, coloring, high-brightness display, etc.).

In cases where two or more areas in the displayed photo have beenassociated with personal information PD, an area corresponding to theother party may be displayed in a specific display style (e.g. changingcolor) distinguishable from the other areas associated with personalinformation PD.

In cases where a photo including both the calling party (sending acommunication request) and a different person already recorded in anabsent call reception history record in the absent call receptionhistory memory 14 d is displayed on the call reception screen 56, thearea associated with the calling party and the area associated with thedifferent person (recorded in an absent call reception history record)may be displayed in different display styles. With such a displaymethod, the amount of information regarding the calling party sendingthe communication request is increased (by comparison between the areaassociated with the calling party and the area associated with thedifferent person recorded in an absent call reception history record),which allows the user to deepen his/her understanding of the callingparty.

In the aforementioned call reception process (FIG. 11), when there aretwo or more photos associated with the calling party sending thecommunication request (S89: YES), whether a group photo is included inthe photos (associated with the calling party) or not is checked (S90)in the above embodiments. However, it is also possible to leave out thestep S90 and display one of the photos (associated with the callingparty) that was registered in the telephone directory memory 14 b first(irrespective of whether the photo is a group photo or not) on the callreception screen 56 when there are two or more photos associated withthe calling party.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image information storage device, comprising:a receiving device configured to receive an instruction; a storagedevice configured to store: image data including an image of a firstperson and an image of a second person, first registration informationassociated with the first person, and second registration informationassociated with the second person; a display device; a controller; and amemory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by thecontroller, instruct the controller to perform processes comprising:controlling the display device to display an image including the firstperson and the second person on one side of the display device;controlling the display device to display the first registrationinformation associated with the first person on the other side of thedisplay device in response to receiving, via the receiving device, afirst instruction selecting the image of first person in the image onthe one side of the display device; and controlling the display deviceto display the second registration information associated with thesecond person on the other side of the display device in response toreceiving, via the receiving device, a second instruction selecting theimage of second person in the image on the one side of the displaydevice.
 2. The image information storage device according to claim 1,wherein the storage device is further configured to store: firstpersonal image data associated with the first person, and secondpersonal image data associated with the second person; and wherein thecomputer-readable instructions instruct the controller to performprocesses further comprising: controlling the display device to displaya first personal image according to the first personal image data on theother side of the display device in response to receiving the firstinstruction selecting the image of the first person in the image on theone side of the display device; and controlling the display device todisplay a second personal image according to the first personal imagedata on the other side of the display device in response to receivingthe second instruction selecting the image of the second person in theimage on the one side of the display device.
 3. The image informationstorage device according to claim 2, further comprising: a communicationdevice configured to communicate with an external communication device,wherein the computer-readable instructions instruct the controller toperform processes further comprising: controlling the display device todisplay the first registration information and the first personal imagewhen the communication device receives a communication request includingthe first registration information from the external communicationdevice; and controlling the communication device to start communicationwith the external communication device when the receiving devicereceives a third instruction for responding to the communicationrequest.
 4. The image information storage device according to claim 2,wherein the storage device is further configured to store: first areainformation of a first area associated with the first person in theimage according to the image data, and second area information of asecond area associated with the second person in the image according tothe image data; wherein the first area information includes: a shape ofthe first area, a size of the first area in the image, and a position ofthe first area in the image; and wherein the computer-readableinstructions instruct the controller to perform processes furthercomprising: executing a registration process in response to receiving,via the receiving device, a third instruction to register the first areainformation for the first person, the registration process including:determining a shape of the first area according to the third instructionreceived via the receiving device, determining a size of the first areaaccording to the third instruction received via the receiving device,determining a position of the first area according to the thirdinstruction received via the receiving device, and storing the firstarea information, including the shape of the first area, the size of thefirst area, and the position of the first area, in the storage device,such that the first area information is associated with the firstperson.
 5. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium for use with animage information storage device, the image information storage devicecomprising: a receiving device configured to receive an instruction; astorage device configured to store: image data including an image of afirst person and an image of a second person, first registrationinformation associated with the first person, and second registrationinformation associated with the second person; a display device; and acontroller, wherein the medium stores computer-readable instructionsthat, when executed by the controller, instruct the controller toperform processes comprising: controlling the display device to displayan image including the first person and the second person on one side ofthe display device; controlling the display device to display the firstregistration information associated with the first person on the otherside of the display device in response to receiving, via the receivingdevice, a first instruction selecting the image of first person in theimage on the one side of the display device; and controlling the displaydevice to display the second registration information associated withthe second person on the other side of the display device in response toreceiving, via the receiving device, a second instruction selecting theimage of second person in the image on the one side of the displaydevice.